


Learn from your Mistakes

by ZDcookie_996



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Crying, Established Relationship, M/M, Nicky Comforts George, Panic Attacks, Post Imola 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZDcookie_996/pseuds/ZDcookie_996
Summary: George hides away from everyone after his crash in Imola. Thankfully, he has a team and a boyfriend who are worried about him.
Relationships: Nicholas Latifi/George Russell
Kudos: 31





	Learn from your Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Here is Nicky/George story post Imola whereby George locks himself away from everyone after the race and his boyfriend and team members come to check on him. I was so upset and frustrated for George on Sunday but even the best drivers make mistakes and you can learn from your mistakes hence why no one is perfect. For this story, the layout of the motorhome is similar to that of Spa, you can find a motorhome tour on YouTube of the Williams hospitality. Also in this story, Nicky's parents aren't present purely because I wanted the focus to be on George. I know that Nicky's parents were at the race in real life but I've taken them out of this one. Hope you all enjoy and please leave comments!

George didn’t want to be in the paddock. He wanted to be at home but he couldn’t right now. He could tell by the look on Adam’s face that the older man felt sorry for him and didn’t want to drag him round the media pen but it had to be done. In truth, Adam hadn’t said much to George primarily because he didn’t know what to say and he was sure that the young driver wasn’t in the mood for sympathy. George didn’t go near anyone else in the media pen, not even his boyfriend. He just wanted to get the questions out of the way, get out of his race suit, do the post race debrief then go home. It was painful having to answer questions about his mistake but at least he was holding his hands up. To George, he couldn’t say anything else. There were no excuses and he wished he could turn back the clock. 

Nicky desperately wanted to go and approach his boyfriend in the media pen once the race was over but he could tell even with George’s face covered with a mask that he was just done. He obviously hadn’t seen the footage of George sitting on the grass after he had left the car. Sophie had told him about it and how his body language had shown that he didn’t want the marshals near him which was understandable. The Canadian decided that it would be best to see his boyfriend once they were back in the motorhome. He was a little bit surprised when he returned to the motorhome after he was finished with the interviews to find that George wasn’t there.

“He’s still out doing interviews with Adam.” Kat informed Nicky and Sophie.

Nicky nodded his head and was about to head to his room to get changed when Sophie caught his attention.

“Remember you have debrief with your engineers so you can see George later.” She said.

The Canadian nodded and sighed as he made his way towards his driver’s room. He contacted his engineer in the effort to try and get the debrief over and done with so he could go and see George. He hoped that his boyfriend wouldn’t be offended that he hadn’t seen him sooner but then again it was apparent that he didn’t really want to be near people. Both Nicky and George had to participate in debriefs from their rooms due to social distancing so Nicky decided to just get changed when it was over. Fergus, Nicky’s performance coach, had come in part way through the debrief and then stayed on the couch, playing on his phone as he waited for the driver to finish. When debrief was finally over, Nicky was able to get changed out of his race suit.

When George had returned to the motorhome, he bypassed everyone and headed straight to his driver’s room and locked the door behind him. Adam was worried because neither George nor Nicky ever locked their doors. He wasn’t sure whether to remind George that he had debrief with James and Andrew. Instead, he decided to let the younger man have a moment to himself, knowing that George would be alright eventually.

James had called George when debrief was ready to begin and he was worried when the younger man didn’t answer his phone. He wasn’t sure if the driver was busy or not because it was routine to have a post race debrief and George always did it from his room. The young driver was not one to be late for anything, he was always on time. He tried to call George again but the phone just rang on. Andrew didn’t know what to do, he could only look at James helplessly as they tried to determine the best course of action. If Claire had still been at Williams, James probably would’ve messaged her but she wasn’t there. He had nothing against Simon but the deputy team principal hadn’t been in the role long for very long. He knew that he couldn’t really leave the garage to head to George’s room in the motorhome. The young driver would probably just ignore him anyway. Something was wrong, George always answered his phone or if by chance he missed a call, he would always apologise. As far as James and Andrew were aware, George was still in the motorhome. James made the decision to call Sophie so that she could get Nicky to talk to George. That was another reason why he didn’t really want to talk to Simon although he would probably get in trouble if something was wrong with George.

The team were aware of George and Nicky’s relationship and they had been very supportive. It probably helped that they were not really fighting for the championship and the two drivers were good at just getting their heads down and getting on with the job. The couple had told Simon privately when he had taken over and they could tell that he wasn’t entirely impressed. They felt the need to be careful anytime they were around him but at least everyone else approved and left them to it. 

James knew that Nicky could get through to George. He could only understand so much as an engineer but Nicky was a driver as well and so if George was feeling down about the race, his boyfriend would be able to sympathise with him. He called Sophie and swore quietly when her phone went straight to voicemail. The engineers usually stayed together during the debriefs, which was a reason why James didn’t want to leave the garage in case Simon arrived and questioned his disappearance. He decided to call Adam and ultimately if he didn’t answer, Simon would be called even if James was rather reluctant to call him. He held his breath as he waited for Adam to pick up the phone.

“Hello.”

James sighed in relief.

“Adam, it’s James here.” He said.

“Oh hey, James. Sorry, I didn’t look at my phone to see who was calling me.” Adam apologised to him.

“That’s alright, I was just wondering if Sophie is about.” James inquired.

There was a pause on the other end of the phone as if Adam was thinking.

“She should be here in the motorhome. Why, what’s wrong?” He asked.

“We were supposed to do the post race debrief with George but he’s not answering his phone. I understand that he’s distraught especially having been so close to points. I want someone to check on him, you know as well as I do that George is never late for anything. We’re pretty sure he’s still in the motorhome and no one has told us that George can manage. We just want to know that he’s alright.” Said James.

There was another pause. Adam was running a hand through his hair with worry but obviously Adam couldn’t see that.

“That’s not good.” Murmured Adam.

“I have a feeling that he’s upset and angry with himself after his crash. It’s understandable but I think the only person who can really talk to him is Nicky. They’re both drivers, they know what it’s like to race in those cars. I don’t mean to offend Simon but it would probably be better if he didn’t find out about this. I know he’s not really a fan of George and Nicky’s relationship.” Said James, firmly.

James had moved away from the rest of the engineers as he didn’t really want them to overhear the conversation. He was obviously hoping that there was nothing wrong with George but he didn’t want to create unnecessary panic in case there was a misunderstanding. 

Adam sighed on the other end of the phone.

“No, I get what you mean. It’s just weird that George would refuse to do the post race debrief.” He said, sadly.

“Well, he hasn’t necessarily refused to do it, he’s just not answering his phone. I just don’t want Simon to find out and then maybe refuse to get Nicky involved if you understand where I’m coming from.” Explained James.

“I do, I do. I’ll go and find Sophie then we’ll go and visit George. If for some reason he can’t do the debrief, we’ll let you know.” Said Adam.

“Thank you. I just hope he will bounce back from this, he can but it’s getting the thoughts out of his head that will be the problem.” Replied James.

“He’s a strong driver, he’ll bounce back for sure.” Insisted Adam.

The conversation eventually drew to a close and James went back to Andrew to inform him about the situation. 

Meanwhile, Adam ran a hand through his hair as he made his way from the top floor of the motorhome downstairs to the bottom level. He passed the floor where Nicky and George’s rooms where but he wanted to approach Sophie before speaking to either driver. It wasn’t long before he reached the communications room and found Sophie going through the recordings from the media pen as she occasionally took notes as well. He felt bad as he knocked on the door to grab her attention to which she nearly jumped out of her seat.

“Adam!”

He gave her an apologetic look before he made his way over towards her. Sophie couldn’t see his face because of the mask but he looked serious.

“What’s up?” She asked, curiously.

Adam sighed.

“James called me, he said he’s been trying to reach you.” He responded.

Sophie frowned and pulled out her phone from her fleece pocket and made a noise when she saw there was a missed call from George’s race engineer. She looked up at Adam in concern.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, worriedly.

“George isn’t responding to James’ calls, they’re supposed to be having the post race debrief and he’s not answering.” Murmured Adam.

Sophie’s eyes widened. Adam then rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward.

“I should probably tell you this just now. When George and I came back from the media pen, he went straight to his room and locked the door. The boys never lock their doors. I’m really worried about him, I don’t think he’s taking it well.” He said, seriously.

Sophie sighed.

“Does Nicky know?” She asked.

“I don’t know, I’m not sure if he’s had any contact with George. You would think if he did, he would be encouraging him to respond to James for the debrief. James did tell me he doesn’t want Simon finding out. He reckons that George will probably only respond to Nicky and you know that Simon isn’t a fan of the pair being together.” Replied Adam.

Sophie immediately got up from her seat.

“We need to speak to Nicky. I’ll head to his room, see if you can get a response from George and if his door is still locked.” She said.

Adam nodded and followed Sophie out of the room and up the stairs to the next floor where the drivers rooms were. Both drivers were technically next door to one another but Sophie headed to Nicky’s room whilst Adam hesitantly made his way to George’s. Sophie knocked on the door and waited for an answer, Adam on the other hand, paused for a moment before knocking on George’s door.

Nicky had not long changed out of his race suit and was helping Fergus pack everything up. There was a knock at the door and Nicky frowned. If anyone needed him, they usually called and he had finished his media obligations as well as the debrief so he had no idea who was knocking on his door. Also, people usually knocked and then opened the door almost immediately but it appeared that the person was still standing outside.

“Come in.” He called out.

Sophie slowly opened the door and closed the door behind her. Nicky frowned at her, wondering what was wrong. He could tell that something was going on, like Sophie had done when Adam had been looking for her earlier as she had her mask on. Nicky had taken his mask off for the debrief and hadn’t put it back on again and so Sophie could tell that he looked concerned.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Nicky.

“James has been calling George for the post race debrief and he’s not answering. Adam said when he came back from the media pen he locked himself in his driver’s room. Have you been in contact with him?” Questioned Sophie.

“No, I thought it would be better to give him some space then go and see him after the debrief. I’ve been so preoccupied with packing to go home. So, you’re saying that George is ignoring James?” Responded Nicky.

“He’s not answering his calls. We all know George, he’s never late for anything and if he were to run late, he would apologise. The debrief is nearly always at the same time after every race. We’re worried about him.” Said Sophie.

Nicky immediately felt bad for not going to see George sooner. It was clear that he was feeling bad after the crash. The Canadian had been feeling down after missing out on points but George ultimately would’ve been guaranteed points had he not pushed the car over the limit. Sophie could tell that Nicky was worrying about his boyfriend. 

“Could you maybe talk to him? He’s been in his room all this time, I’m sure someone would’ve said something if he had left.” 

“I’ve not heard anything from his room but then that doesn’t mean anything.” Said Nicky. 

Sophie opened the door as Nicky followed her out. They found Adam trying the door handle to George’s room which was clearly locked as it had been since George had come back from the media pen. Nicky was left hovering in the doorway due to the fact that the distance between the door to his room and the door to George’s room was so small. 

“George? George, can you let us know that you’re alright?” Adam called out.

Nicky swallowed nervously when there was silence. Adam was busy fidgeting as Simon’s room wasn’t far from the two drivers rooms and he had no idea if the deputy team principal was in the motorhome or not. He hoped he wasn’t but they needed George to open the door soon to avoid causing a scene as the only other option was to force the door open. Sophie stepped forward and knocked on the door firmly.

“George, it’s Sophie. Nicky is here as well, will you let us in?” 

Again, there were no signs of the door opening anytime soon so both Sophie and Adam looked over at Nicky. The Canadian moved closer to the door.

“George, it’s me. Can you let us in please?” He asked softly.

He held his breath as he waited to see if George would open the door. Of course, this had to happen when Aleix was self isolating otherwise they would’ve been in touch with him. Nicky sighed in relief when he heard the lock on the door being turned so it was now open. George hadn’t made any effort to show his appearance so Nicky waited a moment before he looked at Sophie and Adam who nodded encouragingly as he opened the door. He hesitantly made his way into the room and stopped as he searched for his boyfriend. His heart broke as the brunette was sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa, his arms rested on his legs which were lying flat out in front of him. He was still wearing his jacket and had his race suit on, face mask lying on the floor next to him. He was staring into nothing and what worried Nicky the most was that George looked drained. His eyes were red and bloodshot. It looked like he was biting his lip as if he was trying not to cry. Nicky had never seen his boyfriend like this.

“George?” He said softly.

His boyfriend refused to look up at him and Nicky was sure that if the younger man hadn’t been crying earlier, he was going to soon enough. The Canadian was so focused on his boyfriend that he didn’t realise that Sophie and Adam were hovering in the doorway. He made his way over to George who had tears in his eyes as he continued to stare straight in front of him. He sat down next to him as he could see his boyfriend’s shoulders shaking in an effort to try and control himself. A tear fell from George’s face then another. He let out a sob and Nicky felt his heart break. 

“Come here.”

Nicky wrapped his arms around George and let him fall against his chest as he sobbed. The brunette clutched at his boyfriend’s fleece as he cried harshly, tears falling rapidly down his face. Nicky had no idea how long he was sitting on the floor for as he held onto George. It wasn’t until George’s chest began to shudder in an effort to breathe that Nicky began to panic. George almost stopped sobbing immediately and his chest began to heave.

“Nicky.” George stuttered.

The Canadian quickly looked over at Sophie and Adam who were worried about George.

“He needs to get his breathing under control, Nicky, you need to help him breathe.” Said Sophie, calmly.

Nicky grabbed George’s hand and forced himself to calm his own breathing so his boyfriend could follow it as he placed George's hand on his chest.

“Follow my breathing, George. Please, just slow down, everything is alright, just breathe. Breathe with me, George.” He murmured.

Slowly but surely, George managed to match his breathing with Nicky’s and he slumped against his boyfriend’s chest, feeling more drained than ever. 

Sophie and Adam shared a look. There was no way George was in any state to do the debrief now. Without saying a word, they quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door behind them. 

Nicky soon found himself back in his apartment with George. Sophie and Adam had talked with James and they agreed to save the debrief for another day seeing as Turkey was in two weeks. They promised to wing things in case Simon asked questions. Nicky had never been so grateful to get on the plane and fly home. George had been so tired he had nearly fallen asleep in the room after Sophie and Adam had left and he actually fell asleep for practically the whole flight home. 

That night, George was fast asleep, cuddled up against Nicky’s chest. They hadn’t talked about the race or what had happened in George’s room. Nicky knew that he couldn’t avoid it, they had to discuss it as he had been oblivious to how George was feeling. The Canadian knew that George would bounce back from this but he had been unaware of how much George was hurting and that hurt him too because his boyfriend deserved all the points in the world. He would get them eventually and Williams were moving forwards. It was a mistake, an error that George would learn from because he was allowed to make mistakes. He just wished that he had spoken with the brunette earlier. For now, he was happy to hold George in his arms and push any thoughts of the race and George’s crash out of his mind.

He kissed George gently on the temple as his eyes began to droop and he fell asleep, following his boyfriend into the land of nod.


End file.
